Mumbai: Among those killed in Wednesday morning’s crash at the Baramati airport was a young woman pilot named Captain Shambhavi Pathak. She was a pilot whose career was defined by a steady climb through the ranks of Indian aviation, from a student pilot to the first officer of a high-performance business jet.
On Wednesday, she was the first officer on the ill-fated Learjet 45 (registration VT-SSK) that crashed in Baramati, resulting in the deaths of all five individuals on board, including Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
She started dreaming for a career in the skies at the Air Force Bal Bharati School, where she completed her secondary education in 2018. Thereafter, she moved to New Zealand to undergo professional training at the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy. Between 2018 and 2019, she earned her Commercial Pilot License (CPL) under the standards of both the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (NZ CAA) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India.
Shambhavi went on to pursue a degree in Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics, Aviation, and Aerospace Science and Technology from the University of Mumbai in 2022, before achieving a “Frozen ATPL” (Airline Transport Pilot License). This was a significant milestone, indicating she had passed all the high-level theoretical examinations required to eventually captain commercial airliners.
She also served as an Assistant Flight Instructor at the Madhya Pradesh Flying Club, holding a Flight Instructor Rating (A). She was a disciplined and skilled professional who transitioned from instruction to charter operations with a high level of competence, colleagues said.
Shambhavi was part of the two-person cockpit crew, alongside pilot-in-command Captain Sumit Kapur. The flight, operated by a Delhi-based charter firm, was transporting Pawar, his personal security officer Vidit Jadhav, and a flight attendant, Pinki Mali, for a series of political events.
As per reports, even as the aircraft attempted to land at Baramati airport around 8.45 am, it encountered technical difficulties, veered off the runway, and burst into flames.
